An American warship shot down a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired Thursday by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the United States military said.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling militant group Hamas.

"The USS Mason (DDG 87) shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis," United States Central Command said in a statement, referring to a guided-missile destroyer.

"There was no damage to any of the 18 ships in the area or reported injuries," CENTCOM said, adding that it was the 22nd attempted attack on international shipping by the Houthis since mid-October.

The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the US to set up a multinational naval task force earlier this month to protect Red Sea shipping.

In addition to US military action, the Treasury Department unveiled sanctions Thursday against a network involved in financing Houthi attacks.